Fifty young Creusois followed a day of road safety training this Thursday in Aubusson. The prefecture's desire is to remind future young people of some information and good behavior. Professionals informed the young people about car insurance, registering for driving school, taking a license test, and dangerous driving.
“With the license at 17, the idea is to make them more adult, to remind them that the consumption of alcohol and drugs should be avoided when you are on the road, just like the use of the telephone”summarizes Sébastien Dubreuil, commander of the Creuse road safety squadron. “We feel like God when we have our license, so we try to make them aware of all the risks,” summarizes the gendarme. The majority of offenses he sees among young people are linked to speed and drug use.
Free license training
For the fifty participants, young people aged 15 to 25, the motivation was not the least: to win three driving license courses worth 1,500 euros. Since the first edition in 2019, 16 of the 19 winning Creusois have obtained their license.
Edition after edition, the department's road safety notes that the price of the license is an obstacle for many young people and their parents. Victoria Henry, 21, is a student in Paris. She depends on her father to travel back and forth. “I will get between 1,000 and 3,000 euros depending on where I spend it. Afterwards, I will no longer have any savings, so I have no right to fail”she testifies. Thomas Goudard has no solution at the moment. “If I don’t find a job to finance it, it’s going to take a while,” fears Thomas Goudard, 23 years old. But it's difficult to get hired in bodywork without the precious pink card.
A barrier to employment
Among the participants, none of the young people imagine doing without a license, which is synonymous with freedom of travel, but also access to employment. Théo Krechiche is sure, having his license would help him find a job.“Employers prefer someone who has a license, because they know that we will be on time and that they will not have to adapt to public transport schedules,” he testifies. The youngest also project themselves, like Océane. “It’s freedom, I won’t have to ask my parents anymore. And then for studies, you have to go to Limoges, so it’s better than taking public transport.”
